Online Shopping Safety Tips




Online Shopping Safety -better safe than sorry!

The Internet is the best thing to happen to shopping since the creation of the shopping mall. With a simple click of your mouse, you can find anything from designer jeans to the latest handbags to out-of-this-world jewelry. You can shop at big name stores such as Nordstrom and Macy’s or at quaint specialty boutiques that cater to consumers looking particular items such as vintage jewelry, plus size clothing, make up, or anything else your heart desires—and without ever leaving the comfort of your own home!

With such fabulous shopping available to you 24/7, 365 days a year, it’s easy to get carried away. There’s just so much temptation! It’s easy to blow your budget in a few hours of online shopping. So the first online shopping safety tip is to know how much you can reasonably spend and stick to that amount.

And with online shopping, you do need to exercise caution. Unfortunately, not all online stores and shops are created equally when it comes to security and honesty.

So here are some online shopping safety tips to help make every online shopping experience a good and safe one.

Tip #1: Always shop at secure sites. How can you tell?

These websites use encryption technology that scrambles your information while it’s being transmitted. You can tell the site uses this technology by looking at your browser. You should see htttps at the beginning of the address in the browser. The s tells you the site is secure. You should also check the lock icon at the bottom right of your screen. If it’s open, you can expect that the site is not secure, but if it’s closed, then it is.

Tip #2: Research, research, research. If you’re dealing with a company that you haven’t dealt with before, look for a physical address along with a phone number. There should also be a customer service number or email address. Call them if at all possible. If you get no answer or an answering machine, don’t trust the website. If you email them and get no response or get an automated response, again, go elsewhere. There are just too many great places to shop on the Internet to waste your time on a site that is at all shady.
Tip #3: Read everything you can about the site’s security and privacy policies. Make sure that the site isn’t going to sell your personal information to third parties. Their security policies should also be clear and precise, not vague or, worse, nonexistent. You may also want to run the company name followed by the word scam through Google. This will let you know if people have had problems with the website and what they were. This is invaluable information to have, and it’s so simple to do!

This online shopping safety tip is mainly if it is not a reputable or new business.

Tip #4: Use your credit card rather than your debit card to make purchases. If something should go wrong and you start being charged for items you didn’t buy, you will be covered under the Fair Credit Billing Act. If it’s determined that you did not, indeed, make the purchases, you are only responsible for $50 in charges.

Also, you will have to cancel any card that’s been compromised, and it can take awhile to get your new card. It’s easier to be without a credit card for several weeks than to be without your vital debit card!

Tip #5: Study the website’s return policy carefully. There is always a chance that what you order will arrive damaged or won’t fit—or you just may not like it, though it looked so fabulous on your computer screen. You want to know that returns are first of all accepted!

Many e-commerce sites have a no return policy, so you want to be extra careful if you place an order with any of then. You also want to make sure that you can get a full refund, either on your credit card or a store credit.

Following these easy online shopping safety tips will give you great peace of mind and make your online shopping simple and fun. And after all, isn’t that the whole point?

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